The Eve of Our Destruction
by heyblueeyes
Summary: The ever evolving relationship of Wally West and Artemis Crock.


**NOTES**

I don't own Justice League, obviously.

Don't expect this story to be in the proper order. I'm going to write chapters based on whatever ideas I can get/want to flesh out. The entire thing will, however, follow one plot line, so it won't be too all over the place. I'd love to get some feedback so feel free to leave a comment!

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><p>He'd moved on long ago, <em>years<em> ago. It had taken awhile for Wally; much longer than the rest of the team. But he'd done it. He'd let the memories of her slip into the back of his mind until they were all but forgotten. He'd washed her scent clean out of his sheets, out of his clothes. That stupid smell – the smell he'd inhale off her hair when he woke up in the middle of the night, the smell that he could always somehow catch a whiff of on the battle field as she waltzed by, graceful as a gazelle. That stupid smell; salty - like the smell of the ocean beside the cave, with undertones of apple, a smell he attributed solely to her shampoo. He'd forgotten that, too; the way she was steadfast in every aspect of her life. In all the years he'd known her as a teammate, best friend, and otherwise, she'd never once tried a different kind of shampoo. _Why would I try something different if this works just fine?_ She'd tell him with an attitude. There was always an attitude when it came to her. Fiesty little Artemis Crock – her face could have been featured next to the word 'attitude' in the dictionary. It had been…what, about three years? Three years since she'd disappeared into the shadows, figuratively and literally. Wally West had spent three years forgetting about the way she'd set her jaw whenever she was mad at him (which was more times than he would have liked to admit). It had been three years since he'd broken all his knuckles and the fridge door at the cave because of her.

His right hand twitched as the memory came flooding back. He didn't want to remember. He'd spent months trying to forget her, snapping at the mention of her name. _But he'd done it._ Much to the surprise of everyone, Wally West had managed to grow up and get on with his life.

And much to his own surprise, all it took was one second for all that to be shattered.

Not a single had changed about her, a fact that made him angrier than he could have thought possible. She still looked like the same old Artemis, all blonde hair, dark eyes, and lithe muscle. Of course, she _wasn't_ the same old Artemis. Her hair was braided, her eyes hardened. No longer did she sport the dark green outfit that Wally had once associated her with. Instead, she wore orange and black. It was wrong, as if his Artemis had been smashed together and combined with a stranger. Wally drew himself up to his full height. It was dark out. For a brief moment, he tried to convince himself that the shadows were playing tricks on his mind. But he blinked slowly, and there was no denying it. This was no dream, no trick. It was painfully clear who stood across the roof from him.

Three years later, Wally found himself face to face with Artemis Crock. Or, Tigress, rather. She might have looked the same, but never again would she be that young, assertive girl who'd caught his eye all those years ago.

"I much preferred the yellow suit, Wall-man" her voice was quiet, but it didn't even matter. Wally felt his breath catch in his chest. Anger flooded his body, every molecule of his being vibrating in rage. Wall-man. No one had called him that in…hell, he couldn't even remember. Her voice rang in his ears. Wall-man. It was the final straw in his defense. It felt like a giant scab had been ripped straight off his heart. He wanted to close the distance between them. Tell her he missed her. Tell her the team missed her, even though they weren't quite the same grouping as they had been all those years ago.

His anger wouldn't let him, though. No. He wasn't some sunflower bending to the whim of the sun. Artemis didn't deserve that of him. Not after the way she'd left. His muscles tightened. Artemis sensed his stiffening from across the roof, a sad smirk playing across her lips.

"What? No witty remark? No childish insult? I never thought I'd see the day where Kid Idiot was at a loss for words," her voice was stronger now, more forceful. There was a hint of a quiver as she spoke his old nickname, but Artemis wasn't one to let her voice betray her. She crouched into a ready position, more than aware that the words she spoke were hitting him like a brick wall.

"You don't get to talk to me like that. Like you know me," he spat, the bitterness dripping from every word he flung at her. Wally had never been good at keeping his temper under wraps, had he? Artemis laughed coolly.

"Oh, I know you Wally, more than either of us would care to remember, I'm sure."

That was the tipping point. Wally growled lowly, pushing himself off towards her. She was expectant, ready for him, easily side stepping out of the way. Wally skidded to a halt, his breathing deep and unmeasured despite the fact that he wasn't winded or tired. Artemis leapt, her silhouette illuminated against the clear night sky, to the nearest building behind them. Wally paused, sure she was going to run away, disappearing for the second time. He was wrong, though, as an arrow went whizzing past, just barely missing his head. Artemis was the type of archer who didn't miss her target unless it was on purpose. This wasn't enough to quell Wally. He launched himself at her again, missing as she side stepped him again.

"What are you doing, Wally?"

"What does it look like?"

"Trying, rather unsuccessfully might I add, to kill me?"

"You hit the nail on the head, blondie. Now shut up and let me get through with this, will you?"

Artemis didn't move, painfully aware of the rising and falling of her chest and the unusual feeling of a knot in her throat. What were they doing? Trying to kill each other? The situation was confounded. This was Wally she was with. Not some other hero, or villain, or person. Wally West, the boy who'd tamed her even if he hadn't realized. Artemis wanted desperately to shoot a poisonous arrow straight into his heart, but she couldn't, not when he was looking at her like _that._ The same way that she'd seen him look at all the foes that they'd battled together as teammates. In all fairness, she_ had_ spent the last three years avoiding the red head… so could she really blame him for wanting to kill her? No. In all honesty, she was surprised he was being so contained about the whole situation. It wasn't every day that your ex-girlfriend showed up in the middle of the night after disappearing without so much as a goodbye three years ago. She'd half expected him to throw a fit. Maybe he'd changed, Artemis didn't know. A lot of things could happen over the course of three years, a fact that she'd managed to learn the hard way.

"Stop, Wally," her voice was firm, but soft. She sounded much more like the Artemis that she'd been as a teenager. It stopped Wally dead in his tracks. "I…I shouldn't have come here," she muttered, more to herself than to him, a quick look of guilt flashing across her eyes. She made a motion to disappear off into the shadows of an adjoining rooftop, but Wally was too fast for her this time. He grabbed her arm forcefully, yanking so that she couldn't leave, forcing her to face him. Artemis swallowed hard. Why had she even bothered to be there in the first place? It wasn't as if she missed him. She'd moved on. She'd grown out of those delusions of good and grandeur and _love_. She wasn't a teenager anymore. No longer did she believe that the world could be noble and light. She was a woman now; young, but grown up. She'd moved on from red hair and freckles to better things. Hadn't she?

"What are you doing here?" His voice was gruff, but it had softened a bit as his green eyes narrowed at her. Artemis yanked her arm out of his grip, but didn't turn to leave. Her feet felt like bricks weighing her down. She couldn't tell him the truth, not as if she ever had to begin with. She couldn't tell him that shreds of her old life had crept their way back into her mind. She couldn't tell him that she was _homesick_. He would have laughed in her face, and rightfully so.

"I…I don't know," it was barely a whisper. Wally diverted his eyes from her, tearing them away from her dark gaze to look at the floor.

"You shouldn't be here, Artemis." The way he said her name sent a chill down her spine. He was right. It had been stupid, naïve. She shouldn't have tracked him down based on news reports. The entire thing seemed stupid now. What had she been expecting? Some wonderful, grand reunion? That he'd take her in his arms and hold her so tight to his chest that she could practically hear the humming of his particles as they vibrated? Those days were gone and over. A sinking feeling occupied her chest.

"I'm sorry."

Wally laughed. It wasn't the good natured laugh that he'd once used in response to her retorts. It was colder, meaner. Artemis felt as if she'd shrunk down to miniature size, as if Wally was going to step on her and squish her like a bug underfoot. "Sorry isn't going to cut it," he took a deep breath, bringing one hand up to rub his forehead. "You can't just do this. You can't just show up and do _this_," he was gesturing wildly now. "_You_ left," he poked a finger hard into her sternum. "What makes you think that you can just come back, huh? After all the shit that you pulled? You've got another thing coming to you if you-"His tirade was cut short as Artemis did the only thing that she could think of, the only thing that she wanted to do – she hugged him. In one swift motion she'd swatted his hand away and thrown herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She could feel the way he stopped, the way his chest stopped rising with breath. She partially expected him to throw her clear off the roof for pulling such a move, but he didn't. His body softened slightly and she felt the weight of his hands around her middle, half-heartedly squeezing.

"I know you probably hate me for everything that I did but I need you to know something," her throat tightened with the threat of tears. "I loved you Wally. I'm pretty sure a part of me always will. Don't think for a second that leaving you wasn't the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life," her voice shook as she tried to keep it under control. Artemis pulled back from the hug, her dark eyes coming up to meet Wally's green ones as his hands fell away from her and lamely to his sides. He didn't have to say anything to convey the years of hurt and anguish that were evident in his eyes. Artemis backed away slowly. She shouldn't have gone to him. She shouldn't have tracked him down. There were a lot of things that she shouldn't have done but she did anyway. Already she could feel herself doing another thing she shouldn't – backing away from him. Her feet traveled quicker than her brain.

Before he knew what was happening, Artemis was leaving. Dumbfounded, Wally couldn't bring himself to move. He would have chased after her, but they both knew she didn't want that. With wide eyes he watched as she disappeared across another rooftop, engulfed into the darkness of a shadow. Wally inhaled sharply. Was he dreaming? Maybe he actually _had_ been seeing things. Wally turned so that he faced the light of the street lamps from below. Maybe he'd spending too many long nights up and in the city. Yeah. That had to be it. That was the only explanation, wasn't it? Stupid Artemis. Only she would have been able to haunt him even in his dreams.

Yet suddenly there came a familiar whizzing noise. Wally jumped back as a black arrow landed at his feet, a crumpled piece of paper attached to the tip. He crouched down, yanking the arrow out of the tar roof with one hand and separating the piece of paper from its tip with the other.

_A souvenir,_ it read, _to replace the one I took back._ Wally curled his fingers tightly around the note, a hint of a sad smile lingering on the corner of his lips.


End file.
